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FACT BRIEF

Did Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz 'actively encourage' rioters to burn down Minneapolis?

By Tom Kertscher
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NO

We found no evidence to back an attack by Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance, who alleged that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “actively encouraged rioters to burn down Minneapolis during the summer of 2020.”

The Ohio U.S. senator’s reference Aug. 16, 2024, in Milwaukee was to violent protests, including fire being set to a police station, following the police murder in Minneapolis of George Floyd.

Protests began May 26, 2020, the day after Floyd’s death. Walz, now the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, activated the National Guard May 28. He mobilized the full guard, an unprecedented move, on May 30.

On June 1, then-President Donald Trump said “I fully agree with the way he (Walz) handled it the last couple of days.” He said Walz “called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast it was like bowling pins.”

Vance’s spokesperson did not cite evidence that Walz encouraged rioters.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
PBS NewsHour WATCH LIVE: Vance talks about crime in Milwaukee campaign stop
USA Today GOP critics say Tim Walz 'let Minnesota burn' in 2020 protests. Here's what happened
Office of Gov. Tim Walz Governor Walz Signs Executive Order Activating National Guard to Protect the People of Minnesota
Rev.com Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Press Conference Transcript: Mobilizes Full National Guard
CNN President Trump’s call with US governors over protests
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.